The Singing Cowgirl (Bear Creek Rodeo) Read online

  “Watch out. You’re going to get roped into songwriting duty.”

  She laughed. “They’ve heard my attempts. As good as I am at fixing up their finished songs, I can’t write one from scratch to save my life.”

  “Well, it would be really hard to beat ‘Lipstick on my Jeans,’ unless you were writing something called ‘Pencil in my Eyeball.’”

  “Oh, wow. I have to suggest that one to Brit and Steph. They’ll laugh so hard!”

  “Do they call you Em?”

  She nodded. “We shorten each other’s names all the time. I think it started when we couldn’t say each other’s names when we were little girls.” She tilted her head to the side, just then realizing something. “You introduced yourself as Christopher, and I immediately shortened it to Chris. Does that bother you?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. I answer to either one. My mother insists on calling me by my full name, but most of my friends shorten it.”

  Their food arrived then, and Emily smiled. “I am so hungry. My sisters weren’t kidding. They go home after we perform and write songs that sound great. I eat. I get so hungry after a performance that I just pig out. Usually we run through Whataburger on the way home. If only Taco Bueno was open all night.”

  “So you’re a Bueno girl?”

  “Oh, yeah. Taco Bueno for every meal would make me very happy. I’ll settle for Whataburger. And if I can find a Taco Cabana, I’m all over that. But usually in the middle of the night, I have to settle.” She took a huge bite of her burger, hoping there was no mustard dripping down her face. She didn’t want her sisters to have to write a song about mustard on her shirt. “What were you doing at the craft fair yesterday anyway?”

  He grinned. “My mother’s birthday is next week, and my name will be mud if I don’t take her something. She likes crafty stuff, so I was looking for something for her.”

  “What did you find?”

  “Well, I got her a CD, because she loves country music, and I got her a quilt. She loves to sit by the fire and read during the winter, so I got her a quilt to throw over her lap when she reads. Should be good.”

  “I’m sure she’ll love it. I hope she likes the CD.”

  “We’ll see. She likes funny songs, so I’m sure she’ll love ‘Lipstick on my Jeans.’”

  “I think that song is going to be people’s favorites forever. I know it’s the most asked for when we are out. That and ‘Cowgirl.’”

  “I liked ‘Cowgirl,’ too, but not as much.” He finished his food and wiped his mouth with a napkin, noticing she had a little bit of mustard at the corner of her mouth. He was almost disappointed when she wiped it away.

  After paying, they went back to the truck, and he headed toward The Woodlands. “What time are you going to get to the rodeo grounds tomorrow?” he asked.

  “We need to be there at ten.” She glanced at the clock on his dashboard, seeing that it was almost two. “I’ll probably take the first shift selling CDs, and then we’ll start switching off.”

  “I’ll come get you around noon, then. You can sit with me for the bull riding.”

  “I’m not sure how well I’ll handle that, but all right. We’ll have to do a rodeo song after this experience.”

  He chuckled. “I can just picture what Stephanie would come up with.”

  She grinned. “Probably something a little bit crazy. She’s better with words than I am for sure, but her sense of humor is so dry.”

  “I really get a kick out of your original songs, so I think she’s wonderful. She’s funny, but there’s a note of seriousness in each of the songs.”

  “I can’t believe you listened to us that much in just two days.”

  “Well, not long after I found the quilt for my mom, there was an emergency at the ranch and I had to drive home.” He reached over and turned up his radio, and she heard her own voice. It was strange to be in someone’s car who was listening to her.

  “Well, I’m glad we amuse you.” She wasn’t sure if she should be embarrassed or proud as she heard her voice travel through the truck.

  “You really do.”

  From there, she gave him directions to her apartment. He walked her to the door, and they stood in front of it.

  “Think your sisters are still up?” he asked.

  “I really doubt it. They would have worked for an hour or two and then crashed.”

  “Are you ready to crash?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I’m sleepy, and my tummy is happy.”

  He grinned. “Well, I had a lot of fun. Thank you for agreeing to go out with me.”

  “Thank you for feeding me. Starving artist and all that.”

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m glad we’re going to have a little more time together.”

  “Me too.”

  She went inside and closed the door behind her, not at all surprised that her sisters were waiting there for her despite what she’d told Chris.

  “How was it?” Brittany asked. “That guy is hot!”

  “He is. Nicest butt ever,” Emily responded with a grin, taking her normal spot on the couch. “We have to be up early!”

  “I know, but we couldn’t go to bed without finding out about Chris. Did he kiss you?” Stephanie asked.

  “Just on the cheek. We went to Applebee’s, and he didn’t say a word when I ordered a huge burger. I ate every bite, too. We talked a lot. He owns a ranch about an hour from the rodeo grounds. He was shopping in the craft area so he could get something for his mother for her birthday. He lives with his mom, but not in a creepy guy kind of way.”

  “Sounds good,” Brittany said. “Are you seeing him again?”

  “Well, I’m taking first shift tomorrow, because he wants me to sit with him to watch the rodeo. Does that count?”

  “Yes!” Brittany said. “It definitely counts. Now, for the important question. What did he get his mother for her birthday?”

  “He got her a quilt and a Kelly Sisters CD. I think that means he’s a winner.” Emily grinned, standing up. “And now I’m going to bed, because we’re going to die tomorrow otherwise.”

  “Well, you’re just going to sleep in the car,” Stephanie said. “And you’ll probably sleep through the rodeo, too!”

  “How can anyone sleep through a crowd of people yelling and cheering?”

  The other two just laughed. They knew Emily could sleep through a hurricane and never notice the damage around her.

  Emily blew them a kiss. “G’night! I’ll see you guys around eight thirty.” She sighed. “I’m going to die of sleepiness tomorrow!”

  “You’re not going to have time to die. Think about all the CDs you’re going to sell!”

  Emily brushed her teeth before heading into her room to sleep, her mind still on Chris. She would so much rather date him than have him as an investor, and she wasn’t sure she would feel that way about any other man in the world. He’d already gotten himself a strong grip on her heart. She just hoped she’d be able to keep her head above water after the rodeo was over. She was sure he was going to be done with her after their week together.

  He’d go back to his world, and she’d go back to hers, trying to get them gigs all over town.

  Four

  Emily slept in the car all the way to the rodeo grounds the next day. She was absolutely exhausted, but she slept with a slight smile on her face.

  She woke when she and her sisters arrived at their destination. Stephanie and Brittany immediately got to work carrying boxes of CDs. They’d sold a couple of hundred already, and now that they’d had the concert, they were sure there would be more. They’d put in a rush order with the company and were expecting another thousand CDs the next day.

  Emily set up the CD player with “Lipstick on my Jeans” in a perpetual loop, and settled down behind the counter with her water bottles. Stephanie looked at her. “Are you all set? Need anything?”

  “Other than a nap? Nope.” Emily had her Square ready for credit card purchases, and they had a good amount of money for change. She knew it was going to be busier today, but she felt like she was ready for it.

  Thirty minutes later, she wasn’t so sure. There was a long line of people waiting in line for the autographed CDs.

  “Are you sure you don’t have T-shirts?” a teenager asked. “I always get a T-shirt from every concert I go to.”

  “I don’t. I’m sorry.” Emily smiled. “I’ll make sure we have them for our next event, though.” It was the fifth request for T-shirts she’d had that morning. She started thinking about all the little things she could be selling and making money off of. She wondered if someone could make a stress relief character in the shape of her and her sisters.

  “Maybe you could have one made on CaféPress, and then you could give us all the link to it.” The girl was persistent about needing a T-shirt, and she wanted a CD as well.

  “I’ll talk to my sisters about it later.”

  “Thank you!” The girl hurried off, and the next person stepped into line.

  “Which sister are you?” the man asked. “Are you the one who writes the lyrics, the music, or are you the lead singer?”

  “I’m Emily, the lead singer.” Emily was surprised at the number of people who had paid enough attention to know which thing all three of them did.

  “Then you’re the one I want to talk to.” The man pulled out his wallet and handed her a business card. “I’m an agent who represents country music talent. I would love to shop your CD around to different labels.”

  Emily felt her heart beating faster as she put the card into her purse. “Thank you for the offer. I’ll discuss it with my sisters.”

  “Are you looking for a label?”

  “We’ve always said
we were going to stay indie, but no one has offered to represent us before. We’ll need to have a conversation.”

  “I really do think I could easily sell Nashville on three identical sisters with great musical talent. The triplet angle would be an awesome gimmick.”

  “I’m glad our family circumstances make a great gimmick. We’ll get back to you once we’ve made a decision.” She smiled sweetly at the man.

  He frowned but purchased a CD. “I’ll have this ready if you decide to use me.”

  The entire line was that way. She sold almost three hundred CDs in her two hours. She hoped they had enough to make it through the rest of the day. Their emergency shipment couldn’t come soon enough.

  When her shift was over, she glanced up, and there was Chris. “Are you still going to sit with me for the rodeo?” he asked. He was actually surprised there were so many people wandering around and not watching.

  “Absolutely.” She was looking forward to it and not just because she’d be able to sit in a VIP box. That didn’t matter at all. No, she just wanted to be with him.

  He led her into the arena and to their seats. They were bigger and plusher than those around them, and they had a fabulous view. “Do you want me to explain things as we go?” he asked, reaching for her hand once they were seated.

  “Sure.” She didn’t care a lot, but if he did, she would show interest. It was only polite.

  He explained about the barrel racing girls who came out then, and as he explained the sport, his voice sounded further and further away.

  After the barrel races were over, he looked over at Emily to see what she’d thought. The answer was clear on her face as she slept soundly in the middle of the noisy crowd. He’d never met anyone who could fall asleep with that many loud screaming people around him, but he was impressed.

  Instead of waking her, he put his arm around her and simply listened to the rodeo events. He was a huge fan, and there was nothing he would rather do than watch, except maybe participate. But how could he do that? He had a ranch to run. He wondered if the rodeo lust would ever get out of his blood.

  When it was time for an intermission, he gently put his hand on her arm. “Emily?”

  She woke with a start, stretching automatically. “Are the barrel races over?”

  He laughed. “They have been for a good long time. It’s intermission. Let’s get some lunch, and then I need to get you back to your table.”

  She nodded, her eyes still sleepy looking. “Sounds good. I’m always hungry.”

  “I’ve noticed that about you!” He took her hand and wove through the crowd, leading her to a concession stand. “Burgers? Hot dogs? I’m afraid the only food they have is fair-type food.”

  “Corndogs. And fried Twinkies. Do they have fried Twinkies?”

  He laughed. “I’ll see.” He could easily see the sign over most of the crowd, because of his height, but he was sure she wouldn’t be able to see anything. “Looks like they have both.”

  “That’s what I want, then.”

  He shook his head. “I see you take your health very seriously.”

  She grinned. “Extremely. I actually work out. I just . . . make up for it with the terrible things I eat.”

  They got into the line and waited until they were at the front, buying their food. They took it back to the table where she would spend the next couple of hours to see Stephanie there. There was a long line but no more CDs.

  Stephanie shook her head at Emily. “We sold them all.”

  Emily blinked a couple of times. “I guess I need to order more.” She immediately dialed the number, sticking her finger in her ear to block out the noises from the crowd. “This is Emily Kelly from the Kelly Sisters. I need to order another two thousand CDs, and I need them delivered to the rodeo grounds for the Bear Creek Rodeo as soon as possible.” She paused for a moment. “Really? Wonderful. We’ll be waiting.”

  Stephanie looked at her, a slightly panicked look on her face. She had a hard enough time with crowds to start with, but when you added in not being able to do what people wanted of her, it was even worse. “What did they say?”

  “They’re going to do a rush shipment. It will be here in three hours. We are going to have to pay extra, but we’ll still make a profit.” Emily sat down beside her sister with her food. “Chris will help me tell people to come back in three hours. Go get something to eat.”

  “I ate at noon like a normal person.” Stephanie sighed. “I’m going to go sit in the car with the AC running and sing to myself. I can’t take the crowd for another minute,” she whispered to her sister.

  “Perfect. Go.” Emily moved over one chair so Chris could sit beside her. She ate her lunch as she wrote out a sign. “Out of CDs. Will have more this evening.” She stood the sign up in front of her, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

  “Did you have any idea you’d sell that many CDs?”

  She laughed. “We bought a thousand and were sure we’d be taking hundreds home with us. This is a lot more than we dreamed.”

  “Are you excited?”

  She looked at him, and he could see the sparkles in her eyes. “I couldn’t be happier. Knowing that a lot of these people will go home and download a couple of their favorite songs or buy the CD again and download makes me even happier.”

  “Why will they do that?”

  “They’ll want their favorite songs on their playlist. Easiest way to do it.” She shook her head. “Lots of people are asking for T-shirts. I’m going to talk to my sisters about putting one online tonight, and if enough people buy it, we’ll make some money that way, too.”

  “Will that make it possible for you to quit your job?”

  “Nope. We need to have this kind of income for a few months straight before any of us will be able to quit. The other two work for themselves, though, so they may be able to settle down.” She took a bite of corndog and grinned. She loved corndogs. The greasier the better. She knew she’d regret eating this way in a few years, but it was hard to worry about a few years down the road at this point in her life.

  “What do your sisters do? What do you do? I can’t believe I haven’t asked you yet!”

  She grinned. “I sell cowboy boots. It’s really a dream come true, let me tell you.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “Stephanie writes for some online companies. Mostly does articles. She can choose how many she does, so she is able to slow down at any time. Brittany teaches music lessons, and she hates every minute of it. She teaches guitar and piano.”

  “I noticed her playing several instruments during your concert last night. She’s really good.” He knew she’d played piano, guitar, and banjo, but it seemed like there were a couple of others.

  “She can pick up any instrument and just start playing it. She’s really amazing.” She sighed. “Sometimes I envy her that talent. And Stephanie sings better than either one of us, but she’s so shy she can’t do the lead singer thing, so that’s me.”

  “Do you like being lead?” he asked. He couldn’t imagine the group working any other way, but it was interesting to ask.

  She nodded. “Mostly I do. Sometimes I think that Stephanie should, because she has a much better vocal range, but she won’t do it, which leaves me. We need Brittany free to grab whatever instrument floats her boat at any given time.”

  “I think it’s great that the three of you all love the same thing but you love different aspects of it. You truly are amazing.” He thought about telling her that he’d sent one of the CDs to a record label in Nashville, but he would wait to see what came of it first.

  “It’s fun but a whole lot of work.” She shrugged. “So tell me more about your ranch. Beef?”

  “Yes. We raise cattle for the beef. I once thought about growing our own feed, but it makes more sense for an operation of our size just to buy it.” He shrugged. “I have a friend who has a horse farm. He’s supposed to be joining me here today. I’ll introduce you.”

  “Was he a rodeo guy as well?”

  Chris nodded. “Most of my friends were at one time or another. I think he really misses it, but he is raising his younger sister. Family responsibilities threw us both out of the running.”

  “Was he a bull rider, too?”

  “Yes, he was. And he was exceptional. I’ll show you some YouTube videos of him later. I wish I had half his talent.”